The Alton Police Department Begins Late-Night Enforcement Crackdown on Impaired Drivers for the 4th of July

Alton, Illinois – Alton Police Department today announced its late-night plans for its July 4^th holiday enforcement, focusing on the deadliest time of day for motor vehicle fatalities.  The intensified enforcement effort against the overwhelming number of late-night impaired drivers and unbelted motorists underscores the disproportionate number of traffic deaths occurring during late night hours in Illinois.

According to data from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the late night hours during the summer months in Illinois is the deadliest time for alcohol-involved motor vehicle crashes.  In the last five years, during the summer months of June through August in Illinois, 149 of the 253 fatalities occurring between midnight and 3am involved a drinking driver.

“The numbers don’t lie. The nighttime is the critical time for motor vehicle fatalities so,

we will be stepping up our late-night enforcement efforts, making sure impaired drivers are off the road and motorists are buckled up,” said Chief Hayes. 

Chief Hayes recommends designating a sober driver and not letting friends and family drive impaired as just two of several simple steps to avoid a tragic crash or an arrest for impaired driving. Other important tips include:

• Plan ahead. Designate a sober driver before going out and give that person your keys.
• If you are impaired, call a taxi, use mass transit or call a sober friend or family member to get you home safely.
• Promptly report impaired drivers you see on the roadways to law enforcement by pulling over and dialing 911;
• Make sure everyone in your vehicle wears their safety belt. It is your best defense against an impaired driver.

The law enforcement crackdown is funded by federal traffic safety funds through IDOT’s Division of Traffic Safety and it runs concurrently with a media campaign that will remind motorists, “You Drink & Drive. You Lose.”  For more information, visit www.drivesoberillinois.org.

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